Means for changing the physical state of a substance



June 20, 1950 A. R. TRlST MEANS FOR camsmc THE PHYSICAL STATE OF A SUBSTANCE 3 Shets-Sheot 1 Filed June 25. 1946 m 7 M V m June 20, 1950 A. R. TRIST 2,512,471

4 MEANS FOR CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STATE OF SUBSTANCE Filed June 25, .1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 i EL- INVENTQR Armor KonMd WIS! ATTORN EYS:

June 20, 1950 A. R. TRIST MEANS FOR camcmc THE PHYSICAL sum OF A SUBSTANCE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 25, 1946 Arr/s Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED OFFICE MEANS FOR CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STATE OF A SUBSTANCE Arthur Ronald .Trllt, Woking, England Application June 25 1946, Serial No. 679,184 in Great Britain July 5, 1945 15 Claims. 1

This invention relates to means for changing the physical state of a substance and has for its object the hydrolysation of fibres, the production of two or three phase emulsions, the homogenisation of suspensions, the coating of particles and such like changes in a, simpler and more effective manner than has been possible in the past.

The invention contemplates the conversion of the mixture of fibre and water called half-stuff into pulp suited to the manufacture of paper by more eflicient fibrilation and disintegration and with less transverse division than has been possible with known beating engines.

The invention also contemplates the stable emulsification of two or more incompatible or immiscible liquids in which one is colloidally thus reducing the risk and loss incidental to machinery or apparatus with moving parts.

This invention consists in means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising a first uninterrupted spiral stream of a liquid constrained to travel on the outer side of a surface of revolution, a second uninterrupted spiral stream of a liquid constrained to travel on the inner side of the surface of revolution, the convolutions of the first spiral stream being obliquely disposed to the convolutions of the second spiral stream, and the suspension of the substance in one of the streams.

As a surface of revolution is produced by the rotation about an axis of a line having length but no thickness and the convolutions of the first spiral stream on the outer side of thesurface are obliquely disposed relatively to the convolutions of the second spiral stream on the inner side of the surface it follows that the inner surface of the outer stream at certain instants of time will coact with the outer surface of the inner stream so that the streams will impart transverse motion to one another by virtue of ence letters thereon; like letters referring to similar or equivalent parts in the different figures in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a simple form of apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the inner part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section 0f the outer part of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of one form or profile of spiral groove;

Figure 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an inner part having three parallel spiral grooves;

Figure 5a is a side elevation partly in section of an inner part having three spiral grooves but without a floor;

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an outer part (complementary to the inner part shown in Figure 5) having four parallel spiral grooves;

Figure '7 is a plan view arranged to show one way of feeding the spiral grooves through two separate manifolds;

Figure 8 is a similar plan view to Figure 7 arranged to show a way of feeding all the spiral grooves through one manifold;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side sectional elevation of a'modified arrangement;

Figure 9a is a fragmentary side sectional elevation of an apparatus having six liners located between an inner part and an outer part, and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary plan of Figure 9.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 the apparatus comprises an inner part a in the form of a frustum of a cone and an outer part b that is complementary and receives the part a without jamming, the parts a and b being connected either by lugs such as a and hooks such as b as shown in Figures 2 and 3, by an interrupted thread breech lock or by means of bolts 2 passed through the flanges y and z as shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 2, the inner part a is formed as a taper plug having a wall e and floor I but clearly the floor f can be omitted in which case the part a becomes a taper shell and the force necessary to hold the parts a and b together is reduced.

The outer part b has a wall 0 and a discharge conduit d which is necessary when the part a is formed as a taper plug but when the floor I of the part a is omitted then the discharge conduit it may also be omitted and the turbulated mixture can be pumped irom the interior of the taper shell that acts as a sump.

The outer suriace o! the wall e of the inner part a is provided with a spiral groove connected to a feed conduit 11 whilst the inner surface of the wall c of the outer part b is provided with a spiral groove :1 connected to the feed conduit k.

The inner part a may have an average diameter of a i'ew inches or a few feet depending entirely upon the materials being handled but in the examples shown in the drawings the part a has an average diameter or about thirty inches and the spiral grooves are about three-quarters of an inch wide and about an inch deep although other dimensions may be used as are desirable.

The spiral groove 0 is shown to be considerablv longer than the spiral groove i and the grooves a and :i must be so disposed angularly that they cross one another, in the examples shown in Figures 2 and 3, the spiral groove 9 has a pitch of about two inches and the spiral groove i has a pitch of about three inches but it will be clear that any difierent pitches may be used to obtain the required degree of superficial contact 0! the streams in the grooves at the intersections.

When the apparatus is used for the development of a fibre water mixture or half-stuff, then the half-stun is fed to the manifold n for distribution equally to the inlets h and It thus providing two spiral streams of "half-stun that travel in the same general direction and repeatedly cross one another at such an obliquity as to obtain the required attrition or beating effect that occurs each time one spiral stream crosses the other spiral stream and induce: the degree of hydrolysation of the fibres in the fibre-water mixture that is necessary to produce a paper pulp in which the fibres are properly separated and each fibre has the ends thereof efficiently flbrilated without the transverse division of the fibres that happens with beating engines.

To obtain this result it is necessary that the streams passing along the spiral grooves shall have a speed that is in excess. of the critical velocity for molecular turbulence and the relative widths and depths of the grooves, the areas of the grooves, the length of the grooves, the pressure of the feed and the rate of delivery must be adjusted to maintain such critical velocity.

Alternatively, when a colloidal mixture is to be prepared, e. g. a vehicle for a coating composition for surfaces, by the milling of a solution of a dispersing agent and an acidic polymer in petroleum with a solution of a metallic salt in water then the petroleum solution can be supplied to the feed conduit 21, at an appropriate pressure to provide the required velocity in the groove 9 and the aqueous solution can be supplied to the feed conduit is also at an appropriate pressure to provide the required velocity in the groove 7' or the petroleum solution can be supplied to the feed conduit is and the aqueous solution to the feed conduit h, the autogenously enveloped colloidal particles constituting the completed vehicle for the pigments and so on being delivered from the discharge conduit d or pumped from the interior oi the taper shell.

From what has been said above it will be clear that in every case one stream must cross the other stream obliquely because it is by this superficial coaction of the streams that each spiral stream has impartedto it a rotational velocity at right angles to its translational velocity thus -bres) in one stream is brought into violent collision with the material constituent (e. g. the

' fibres) of the other stream or when the material constituent (e. g. the fibres or particles) in one stream is brought into violent collision with the liquid constituent (e. g. the molecules) 0! the other stream and the contact eil'ect may be enhanced by aerating or surcharging one oi the two streams with fine bubbles of air or other gas. V

It is to be observed that when liquids, be they suspensions or solutions, are turbulated in this apparatus, the temperature is raised considerably thus giving evidence of the efficiency of the application of the molecular collisions provided for. It will be clear that the length of the grooves g and a must be sufllcient to provide enough time to allow the coaction set up to produce the required degree of development dispersion or other required result, for example, the groove g may be about sixty or seventy feet in length and the groove may be about thirty or forty feet in length when the feed from the manifold n is delivered at a pressure of say, about one hundred or one hundred and fifty pounds per square inch or alternatively the groove :i may be the longer.

Although for purposes of explanation the inner part a and the outer part b as shown in Figures 2 and 3 each are provided with a single spiral groove 9 and respectively, obviously pluralities of parallel spiral grooves may be provided and each spiral groove of such a plurality may have a separate feed conduit.

By way of example, as shown in Figure 5, the inner part a may have three parallel spiral grooves 9 g and y the spiral groove 9' having a feed conduit h the spiral groove g having a. feed conduit 71. and the spiral groove g having a feed conduit H, see Figures 7 and 8, whilst the outer part b as shown in Figure 6, may have four parallel spiral grooves i 7', and the spiral groove having a feed conduit M, the spiral groove 7' having a feed conduit is, the spiral groove 7' having a feed conduit 16* and the spiral groove having a feed conduit 1: as shown in Figures '7 and 8 so that in such an arrangement there are seven feed conduits.

As shown in Figure 5 the inner part a is formed as a. taper plug having a wall e and a floor 1 (similar to the inner part a described in Figure 2) to render the apparatus suitable for use in a cycle having a completely closed circuit to conserve volatiles but the floor 1 can be omitted when unrestricted delivery is required so that, as before, the part a becomes a taper shell a as shown in Figure 5a forming a sump from which the mixture can be pumped.

The outer taper part 12 as shown in Figure 6 is complementary to the inner part a to which it is connected in any convenient way such as by bolts a passing through flanges and consists of a wall 0, in which the grooves 1 i i and i are formed, having a discharge conduit d at the lower part. a

The feeding of the two pluralities of spiral grooves follows the general principle of the ar-.

rangement shown in Figure 1, for example as shown in Figure 'l, the feed conduits h, h and h are fed through a manifold o whilst the feed conduits k, k, k and k are fed through a manifold p or as shown in Figure 8 all the feed conduits are fed from a single manifold q.

Further to increase the delivery, liners 1' having internal spiral grooves s and external spiral grooves t with feed conduits u and 2: respectively therefor may be interposed between an inner part a (or a and an outer part b (or b) as shown in Figures 9 and 10, said liner 1' having two flanges w and a: by which it can be attached to the parts a and b by the bolts 2 By means of such liners the delivery or the superficial coaction can be increased to any amount provided that the feed pump is adequate, that is to say, the complete apparatus in such a form may ".iclude six, ten or more liners. such as r, nested between an inner part, such as a or a and-an outer part, such as b or b as shown in Figures 2a the surfaces of the liners and inner and outer parts having overlapping comparatively large spiral grooves or pluralities of spiral grooves to increase delivery or comparatively small spiral grooves to increase superficial coaction.

In such an arrangement all the feed conduits of the grooves can be fed from'a single manifold or the spiral grooves can be supplied from different sources, that is to say, one liquid can be fed to the externally disposed spiral grooves and another liquid can be fed to the internally disposed spiral grooves, the pressures of the liquid supplied being regulated relatively to one another so as on the one hand, to control the turbulence and on the other hand, to control the mixing of the fluids.

It will be clear that the spiral grooves may have any suitable dimensions and may be of any shape or cross section square, rounded or angular and may be deep or shallow.

I claim:

1. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising a taper inner part, a spiral groove in the outer surface of said inner part, a feed conduit for said groove, a taper outer part complementary to and enclosing said inner part, a spiral groove in the inner surface of said outer part, a feed conduit for said last-named groove, means for connecting said inner part to said outer part and means for collecting the mixed liquids discharged from said grooves.

2, ,In means for changing the physical state of a substance as claimed in claim 1 the arrangement of a plurality of spiral grooves in the outer surface of said inner part and a feed conduit for each groove.

3. In means for changing the physical state of a substance as claimed in claim 1 the arrangement of a plurality of spiral grooves in the inner surface of said outer part and a feed conduit for each groove.

4. In means for changing the physical state of a substance as claimed in claim 1 the arrangement of said taper inner part as a sump to collect the mixed liquids discharged from said grooves and means for withdrawing the mixed liquids from said sump.

5. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising a taper inner part, a plurality of uninterrupted spiral grooves in the outer surface of the inner part, a complementary outer part embracing the inner part, a plurality of uninterrupted spiral grooves in the inner surface of the complementary outer part, a feed conduit 8.. for each of thespiral grooves, means connecting the inner part to the outer part and means collecting the discharges from the grooves.

6. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising a taper inner part, an uninterrupted spiral groove in the outer surface of the inner part, a complementary taper outer part enveloping the inner part, an uninterrupted spiral groove in the inner surface of the outer part, a closely fitting liner between the inner part and the outer part, an uninterrupted spiral groove in the inner surface of the liner, an uninterrupted spiral groove in the outer surface of the liner, 9. feed conduit for each of the spiral grooves and means connecting the liner to the inner part and the outer part to set up a plurality of pairs of obliquely passing spiral streams intermittently in contact when the feed conduits are supplied with the substance in suspension and liquids under pressure.

7. In means for changing the physical state of a substance as claimed in claim 6 the arrangement of the taper outer part as the wall of a casing enclosing the inner part, a supply conduit on the casing and a discharge conduit on the easing so that said means can be connected in a closed conduit installation'to conserve volatiles.

8. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising a taper tubular inner part, a plurality of uninterrupted spiral grooves in the outer surface of the inner part, a complementary outer part embracing the inner part, a plurality of uninterrupted spiral grooves in the inner surface of the complementary outer part, a feed conduit for each of the spiral grooves, means connecting the inner part to the outer part and means for delivering the discharges collected in the tubular inner part.

9. Means for changing the physical state of a substance as claimed in claim 1 in which the pitch of the spiral groove on the inner part is different from the pitch of the spiral groove on the outer part and both spiral grooves advance in the same general direction without interruption.

10. Means for changing the physical state of a substance as claimed in claim 6 in which the pitch of the spiral groove on the inner part is different from the pitch of the internal spiral groove in the liner, the pitch of the spiral groove on the outer part is different from the pitch of the external spiral groove in the liner, that all the grooves are uninterrupted and advance in the same general direction.

11. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising a taper inner part, a plurality of taper liners nested on said inner part, a taper outer part complementary to and embracing the nested liners and inner part, a spiral groove in each surface of' a contacting pair of surfaces disposed so that the convolutions of each groove are oblique to the convolutions of the associated groove and advance in the same general direction, a feed conduit for each groove and a delivery for the discharges from all the grooves 12. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising an inner part, a spiral groove in the outer surface of said inner part, a feed conduit for said groove, an outer part complementary to and enclosing said inner part, a spiral groove in the inner surface of said outer part, a feed conduit for said last-named groove, means for connecting said inner part to said outer part and means for collecting the mixed liquids.

discharged from said grooves.

ram

13. Means for changi the physical state of a substance comprising an inner part, a plurality of uninterrupted spiral grooves in the outer surface of the inner part, a complementary outer part embracing the inner part, a plurality of uninterrupted spiral grooves in. the inner surface of the complementary outer part, a feed conduit for each of the spiral grooves, means connecting the inner part to the outer part and means coilecting the discharges from the grooves.

14. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising an inner part, an uninterrupted spiral groove in the outer surface of the inner part, a complementary outer part enveloping the inner part, an uninterrupted spiral groove in the inner surface of the outer part, a closely fitting liner between the inner part and the outer part. an uninterrupted spiral groove in the inner surface of the liner, an uninterrupted spiral groove in the outer surface of the liner, a feed ccnduit for each of the spiral grooves and means connecting the liner to the inner part and the outer part to set up a plurality of pairs of obliquely passing spiral streams intermittently in contact when the feed conduits are supplied with the substance in suspension and liquids under pressure.

8 15.. Means for changing the physical state of a substance comprising an inner part, a plurality of liners nested on said inner part, an outer part complementary to and embracing the nested liners and inner part, a spiral groove in each surface of a contacting pair of surfaces disposed so that a the convolutions of each groove are oblique to the convolutions or the associated groove and advance in the same general direction, a feed conduit for each groove and a delivery for the discharges from all the grooves.

ARTHUR RONALD TRIBT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

